


The Proposition

by FuckYeahLuPone



Series: Anything Goes [4]
Category: Hollywood (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst and Drama, Beta Read, Drama, F/M, Golden Age Hollywood, Heart Attacks, Hollywood, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Tragedy, what will he do?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:01:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25234345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuckYeahLuPone/pseuds/FuckYeahLuPone
Summary: What will happen when Ace gets hospitalized, and Avis and Claire meet Jack at the hospital?
Relationships: Avis Amberg/Jack Castello
Series: Anything Goes [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1797604
Kudos: 15





	The Proposition

**Author's Note:**

> Part 4 of my "Anything Goes" series.   
> It's getting a little dramatic dolls!!!! But I'm sure you'll handle it.  
> Drama Baby, Drama!!!!  
> Enjoy!

It was a normal morning. Ace wasn’t home and Claire was practicing for her screen test on Friday in her room. Avis was sitting outside by the pool, reading a book with boredom. It was Gertie’s day off, perfect to have a nice dinner out later. Maybe Jack will be available to join her and participate in some nice relaxing activities afterwards.

  
  


_ Oh, Avis just get him out of your head, what’s wrong with you? As if he was interested in me. I could still be his mother, and that won’t change! Ernie! He’ll escort me to dinner and I’m sure he, or rather his enormous dick, can make me forget Jack! Oh my god, yes, that would be perfect.  _

  
  


The ringing of the phone ripped Avis out of her thoughts. She jumped up from the sun lounger she was laying on and went, with quick steps, to the nearest phone inside the house and picked up the receiver,

“Hello?” she said into it.

“Avis? It’s Dick!” 

“Dick? Ace isn’t home-,” but before she could say any more she was interrupted by him.

“Yes, yes, I know. You see, I’m calling because of Ace.-” he replied with a nervous, slightly shaking voice, “He’s in the hospital. You have to come as soon as possible. Avis, he’s in a coma and it doesn’t look too good…” Dick explained to her very slowly. He didn’t hear anything from Avis, just a little thump as he kept shouting into the receiver, asking if she was ok and if she understood what he just told her. He heard nothing.

In shock, the receiver slid out of her hand, hitting the table the phone was standing on. Many things rushed through her mind -too many- until she heard a voice screaming her name from the receiver.

She shook her head, reaching for the receiver on the floor.

“Ye- yes, I’m here. I’ll be there in half an hour.” Before Dick could say anything else, Avis had hung up on him. 

She rushed upstairs. She was just in her robe, but she had to tell Claire. Without knocking, she burst into Claire’s room.

“Get dressed, we’re driving to the hospital. Dad’s had an accident!” with that, she left her perplexed daughter to go get dressed herself. She was sure she had never dressed faster in her life. Running downstairs, she grabbed her car keys and purse.

“Claire!!!” she shouted, making her daughter appear at the top of the staircase before running down to her mother.

* * *

At the hospital, Avis asked a nurse which room her husband was in before they went there to meet Dick who would explain what actually had happened.

  
  


_ Great. He had a heart attack with his cock in one of his whores! This is so humiliating. _

  
  


When Claire ran out of the room, Avis followed her.

Claire shifted on the bench she was sitting on to make room for her mother.

“There, there, darling.” Avis said to her daughter as she sat herself down right next to Claire.

“Is daddy going to die?” Claire asked through tears. But Avis didn’t have an answer. She honestly didn’t know if Ace would survive or if her only child was going to lose her father forever. All Avis could do was look to the floor.

“My screen test is on Friday.” Claire said to her mother with urgency in her voice.

Avis looked at her with a little bit of anger in her eyes,

“That is what I was worried about. Your father’s on his deathbed… and the thing that upsets you is a screen test.-” Avis said the last four words with gritted teeth.

Claire couldn’t look her mother in the eyes.

“This is what I wanted to spare you from.” Avis said before sighing and getting up to go back to her husband, leaving Claire behind. She needed to discuss with Dick how the business would keep running.

Avis couldn’t believe it when she heard that Ace had made her studio head in his absence. 

  
  


_ Why did he do that? Ace did that?  _

When all the men were finally gone, she went inside to her husband. She stopped in front of his bed and eyed the tube that went down his throat, pumping air in his lungs because he couldn’t breathe on his own.

She sat down on the chair next to the bed.

“Why?” she asked, knowing she wouldn’t get an answer. “How can you do this to me? You made me studio head and left me alone to carry the weight of the world. My God, Ace. I’ve never run a studio. I have no clue how it works. Why me?” she questioned him, feeling the anger and sadness come up.

“Please don’t leave me with all that responsibility alone, please. You can’t do that!” she said as she slowly lowered her head onto her arms which were resting on the bed, crying into them.

* * *

Claire was still sitting on the bench, crying silently when someone she knew came to her.

Jack.

“Uhm, hi, Claire. I don’t know if you remember me, but I saw you crying and thought I’d ask you what’s wrong.” Jack carefully said to her.

She looked up at him, recognizing him,

“I remember you. What are you doing here?” Claire said, choked up and cold.

“Yeah, well, I was just here for a check up. So, if you wanna talk, I’m here.” 

“My father just had a heart attack and is in a coma. I want to go to him but somehow… I don’t know. I guess I’m a bit afraid to see him up close.” she said, looking to her feet. 

“I could go with you. It might help if someone’s with you?” Jack suggested.

Claire thought for a moment before she nodded, giving Jack the okay to help her up and bring her to her father's room where Avis was still sitting.

Jack didn’t recognize her with her head buried in her arms.

When Claire saw her mother crying she didn’t go to comfort her, she just cleared her throat to make her aware of her presence.

Avis looked up to see Jack's shocked face. Avis was as shocked as he was to see him here.

“Jack? What are you doing here?” Avis asked, perplexed.

Claire looked from Jack to her mother and back,

“You know each other?” she said while pointing with her index finger to both.

  
  


_ Oh, great, Avis. How am I supposed to explain to her how I know Jack? ‘Mommy and Jack fuck regularly, darling.’ _

  
  


“We, uhmm… We know each other, uhm… from the gas station!” Avis stuttered.

“The gas station?” Claire asked.

“Yes, I work there and your mother frequently pays us a visit to get her tank filled up. So, we’ve had some conversations.” Jack explained.

“I see.” was all Claire said. 

Did she buy it? They didn’t know.

“Well, maybe we should leave you alone with your father. I’ll be waiting outside.” Avis said as she got up from the chair, walked over to Claire and Jack, and gave her daughter a peck on the cheek before she went through the door with him. Avis looked at Jack after he closed the door, not quite knowing what to say. “So… you two know each other?” Avis asked sheepishly.

“Uhm, yeah we do. We met at Ace Pictures when I had my screen test. I had no idea she was your daughter.-” Jack tried to explain, “Because she has a different name, I never-” 

“Yes, she changed it so no one would make the connection to her father.” Avis stated, interrupting Jack.

“Oh” was all he could reply.

“So, what are you doing here anyway?” she asked.

“Just a doctor’s appointment. I saw Claire sitting over there on the bench crying and decided to go over to her.”

Avis nodded.

“Avis, I’m so sorry for what happened to your husband.” Jack added with sincere sympathy in his voice.

“It’s okay. He had it coming! I knew it would happen eventually. The only thing I’m upset about is that he made me studio head. I’m taking his place and I have no idea how to run a fucking movie studio!” Avis muttered, upset.

Jack just stared at her, hearing the news. He wished he could say something encouraging to her but he didn’t know what. After all, she was right. She had so much responsibility; so much power now.

“So, Jack, how do you like her?” Avis asked, looking at her shoes. She wasn’t sure if she really should suggest it to him… What if he takes her suggestion and she couldn’t handle it?

“I don’t really know her that well, but she seems nice and witty.” he answered Avis' question honestly.

  
  


_ Nice? What kind of a description is that? I’m sure there’s more to it. Just tell him, Avis. Tell him! He doesn’t love you. He can’t. Claire would be perfect for him. _

“You know, I think you should sleep with her…” she told him in a whisper, almost inaudibly. 

“What?!” he asked Avis with a shocked expression on his face. He heard her, but he wanted to hear it again because he just couldn’t believe it.

“I said, you should fuck her, Jack. You two would be perfect for each other. You would make a lovely couple.” she said, choking up.

Jack just kept staring at her, unable to say anything.

“Listen, could you please drive Claire home later? I really have to go know.” 

Jack nodded slightly as he watched Avis walk away.

**Author's Note:**

> So, tell me what you thought of the fic! I'm excited to read your reactions!  
> Big thank you to my beta reader!!!!<3


End file.
